Eye tracking system including an eye tracker and a positioning camera

Abstract

A system evaluates a point of gaze of a user on an object and includes at least one eye tracker camera and at least one positioning camera. The eye tracker camera and the positioning camera are configured to be arranged in fixed positions relative to each other. At least one light source is configured to provide conical reflection from at least one of a user's eyes. At least one computer and at least one object is provided. The geometrical data of the object is stored in a storage device accessible to the computer. Wherein the computer is configured to determine: a gaze line of said user relative to a 3D coordinate system, the position of said at least one object relative to said 3D coordinate system, and a gaze point calculated as the intersection of said gaze line with the surface of said object in said 3D coordinate system.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A system for evaluating a point of gaze of a user on an object, said system comprising:
 at least one eye tracker camera associated with a first 3D coordinate system that is fixed relative to the at least one eye tracker camera; 
 
       at least one light source configured to provide corneal reflection from at least one eye of said user;
 at least one computer; 
 at least one object, wherein geometrical data of said at least one object is stored in a storage device accessible to said at least one computer; and 
 at least one positioning camera configured to be arranged in a fixed position relative to said at least one object; 
 said at least one positioning camera configured to be associated with a second 3D coordinate system that is fixed relative to said at least one positioning camera; 
 wherein any combination of said at least one computer is configured to determine: 
 (a) a gaze line of said user relative to said first 3D coordinate system, based on at least one image received from said at least one eye tracker camera; 
 (b) a position of said at least one eye tracker camera relative to said second 3D coordinate system, thereby determining a position of one of said first and second 3D coordinate systems in the other of said first and second 3D coordinate systems, based on at least one image received from said at least one positioning camera; and 
 (c) a gaze point calculated as an intersection of said gaze line with a surface of said object in any 3D coordinate system, based on said gaze line in any 3D coordinate system, a position of said at least one object in said any 3D coordinate system and said at least one object's geometrical data. 
 
     
     
       2. The system of  claim 1 , wherein said at least one object comprises at least two objects; wherein said at least two objects are configured to be arranged in fixed positions relative to each other. 
     
     
       3. The system of  claim 1 , wherein said at least one positioning camera comprises at least two positioning cameras; said at least two positioning cameras are configured to enable determining the position of said at least one eye tracker camera using stereoscopic methods. 
     
     
       4. A system for evaluating a point of gaze of a user on an object, said system comprising:
 an eye tracker, comprising: 
 
       at least one eye tracker camera associated with a third 3D coordinate system that is fixed relative to said at least one eye tracker camera;
 a light source configured to provide corneal reflection from at least one eye of said user; and 
 at least one computer; 
 at least one first positioning camera associated with a first 3D coordinate system that is fixed relative to said at least one first positioning camera; 
 at least one second positioning camera associated with a second 3D coordinate system that is fixed relative to said at least one second positioning camera; and 
 at least one object, wherein geometrical data of said at least one object is stored in a storage device accessible to the at least one computer; wherein any combination of said at least one computer is configured to determine: 
 (a) a gaze line of said user relative to said third 3D coordinate system, based on an image received from said at least one eye tracker camera; 
 (b) a position of said at least one eye tracker camera relative to said first 3D coordinate system, thereby determining a position of one of said first and third 3D coordinate systems in the other one of said first and third 3D coordinate systems, based on an image received from said at least one first positioning camera; 
 (c) a position of said at least one object relative to said second 3D coordinate system based on said image from said at least one second positioning camera and said stored geometrical data of said at least one object; and 
 (d) a gaze point calculated as an intersection of said gaze line with a surface of said object in any 3D coordinate system, based on said gaze line in said any 3D coordinate system and said at least one object's position in said any 3D coordinate system; 
 wherein an intersection of a gaze line, determined by said at least one eye tracker camera with said at least one object, is determined based on a transformation between said first 3D coordinate system and said second 3D coordinate system. 
 
     
     
       5. The system of  claim 4 , wherein said at least one object comprises at least two objects; wherein said at least two objects are configured to be arranged in fixed positions relative to each other. 
     
     
       6. The system of  claim 4 , wherein said at least one object is a monitor, said monitor is configured to display at least one marker. 
     
     
       7. The system of  claim 4 , wherein said at least one first positioning camera comprises at least two positioning cameras; said at least two positioning cameras are configured to enable determining the position of said at least one eye tracker camera using stereoscopic methods. 
     
     
       8. The system of  claim 4 , wherein at least one of said at least one first positioning camera and said at least one second positioning camera comprises at least one of a pan mechanism and a tilt mechanism;
 wherein said at least one of said at least one first positioning camera and said at least one second positioning camera is configured to determine a position of a plurality of eye trackers or a plurality of objects. 
 
     
     
       9. The system of  claim 4 , wherein said at least one second positioning camera comprises at least two positioning cameras; said at least two positioning cameras are configured to enable determining the position of said at least one object using stereoscopic methods. 
     
     
       10. The system of  claim 4 , wherein said at least one second positioning camera is configured to capture a plurality of objects.